Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves victory in the Feb. 25 election, because he is most qualified, Danladi Bako, a director of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) presidential campaign council said.
Bako, who is the Koguna of Sokoto, is also the deputy director, Strategic Communication of the PCC and a veteran broadcaster.
He was at a time the commissioner of information in Sokoto and also director general of the National Broadcasting Commission(NBC).
He spoke on Friday in Abuja after being inducted by a group -Progressive Nation Initiative as its National Patron.
“Tinubu should not be voted for because he is Yoruba man, but he should be voted for because of his capacity and his past records of service.
“He designed the 25-year master plan for Lagos State that includes the blue rail line and all the structures he put in place.
“It also includes LASTMA, Eko Atlantic city, Lekki deep seaport and sanitation activities.
“Tinubu also shored up the revenue of Lagos State to about N51 billion per month and the list is endless.”
Bako said Tinubu deserves to be given the chance to occupy the highest seat in Nigeria.
On Tinubu’s running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, Bako recalled that when he was elected as Borno Governor, 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) were under the control of Boko Haram insurgents.
“Before the end of his tenure, Shettima brought down the LGAs to only eight.
“By 2022, Gov. Babagana Zulum told President Muhammadu Buhari that there is no LGA under the control of the insurgents.”
Bako said a Nigeria under Tinubu would ensure sustenance of Buhari’s achievements as he would build on them.
“Tinubu’s presidency will benefit everybody and we should massively vote for him and Shettima, and APC candidates at all levels,” the Co-chairman said.
Earlier, the National Secretary, Progressive Nation Initiative, Pastor Olarewaju Omolayo, said that a Tinubu presidency would be a prophecy for faith.
“As far as Tinubu is concerned, there is no shaking as it is all about his antecedents and in all ramifications, he is the answer to the problems facing Nigeria,” he said
The bid by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disqualify from the February election Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima collapsed on Friday.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, dismissed the suit by the PDP on the ground that the it lacked locus standi to institute the suit.
Justice Ekwo, who held that the case was caught by the principle of issue estoppel, described the suit as an abuse of court process.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP, in its originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1734/2022, had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, Tinubu and Shettima as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
In the suit filed on July 28, 2022, the party challenged the validity of Sen. Tinubu to contest for the 2023 presidential election as APC candidate on the ground that Mr Shettima’s nomination as his running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
It argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice president and Borno Central Senatorial seat contravened the law.
The PDP also sought an order nullifying their candidacy.
It further sought an order compelling INEC to remove their names from its list of nominated or sponsored candidates eligible to contest the poll.
But the defendants, in their preliminary objection filed by Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and argued by Thomas Ojo, urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction.
They argued that the plaintiff (PDP) lacked the legal right to file the case, which invariably was challenging the political party’s decision and its nomination of candidates for the polls.
They further submitted that such act was an internal affairs of APC which they argued was non-justiciable.
Justice Ekwo agreed with the defendants that the PDP had no locus standi to file the matter.
According to him,.where there is no locus, the court has no jurisdiction.
He said the court found that the action was incompetent.
Ekwo held that that matter bordered on the internal affairs of the APC in which the PDP lacked locus to file the case.
On argument about non-disclosure of cause of action against the respondents, the judge said that there was a nexus between locus standi and a cause of action.
He, therefore, said that since the PDP had no locus standi, it also did not have any cause of action against the defendants.
Justice Ekwo also agreed with the defendants that the suit was an abuse of court process.
“It is expressed in the provision of Section 29 (5) of the Electoral Act, 2022 that the right of action on the matter for which the applicant/respondent (PDP) has filed this action is given to ‘any aspirant who participated in the primaries of his political party’,” he said.
The judge said that it had been established that the PDP was not an aspirant of the APC.
“Therefore, there is no iota of law which supports this action. It is on this ground that I find that this case is an abuse of process and I so hold,” he said.
Justice Ekwo, consequently, dismissed the suit for constituting an abuse of court process.
Tinubu presents economic plans at NESG presidential dialogue
…says nothing wrong with budget deficits
…subsidy has overstayed its shelf life
Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday unfolded his comprehensive economic plan before the organised private sector under the aegis of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
The interaction, which was another opportunity for Tinubu to present his plans to another group of stakeholders just as he has been doing in various town hall meetings across the country, saw him outline his administration’s path to economic recovery if elected in next month’s presidential election.
He noted that before economic recovery could be achieved the nation must be secured.Tinubu speaks at the NESG dialogueTinubu with the NESG team. On his right is NIyi Yusuf, leader of the NESGTinubu with NESG team and his entourage
“First, to achieve the economy we seek, we must resolve the pressing security issues. No nation can flourish with terrorists and kidnappers in their midst.”
The dialogue again gave him an opportunity to emphasise the importance of the private sector and his administration’s readiness to partner with them.
“My core belief is that the private sector must be the prime driver of economic progress. However, the government establishes the framework within which the private sector must operate. If that framework is sound, the private sector will flourish. If the framework is frail or incomplete, then the private sector will struggle.”
He added that his administration would immediately after getting into office, urgently address fiscal, monetary, and trade reforms to effectively increase domestic production, thus serving to curb imported inflation, and to ensure better macro-economic stability by accelerating inclusive growth and job creation across Nigeria.
To achieve this, he listed principles that will guide his administration plans and policies. These principles include how to tackle inflation, petrol subsidy and monetary policy.
“I do not hold to the mainstream view that all forms of inflation are best tackled by interest rate hikes and shrinking the economy. Supply induced inflation does not lend itself to this harsh medicine, just as one does not cure a headache by plucking out one’s eye.
“I do not embrace the conventional wisdom that fiscal deficits by the national government are inherently bad. All governments, especially in this era of fiat currency, run secular budget deficits.
“This is an inherent part of modern governance. The most powerful and wealthiest governments run deficits, as do the poorest nations.
“A budget deficit is not necessarily bad. Look at the Japanese example with high government borrowing and low inflation. The real issue is whether deficit spending is productive or not.
“Unproductive deficit spending is a compound negative. Especially if backed by excessive borrowing of foreign currency. This is not classroom economics but it is the lesson of the real economic history of nations.
“It is based on this idea that I believe we must remove the PMS subsidy immediately. It has outlived its shelf life as a public good. We will neither subsidize neighbouring countries’ fuel consumption nor allow a select few to reap windfall profits and hoard products.
“And the subsidy money will not be ‘saved’ because that means elimination from the economy. Instead, we will redirect the funds into public infrastructure, transportation, affordable housing, education and health, and strengthen the social safety net for the poorest of the poor, thus averting increased security challenges.
“Fiscal policy will be the main driver. Monetary policy is weaker and a less effective instrument. Bad monetary policy is, of course, destructive. But even good monetary policy cannot carry the load the fiscal arm can. Thus, we must steadily remove ourselves from the fiction of tying our budgets to dollar denominated oil revenues.
“This is effectively pegging our budget to a dollar standard. It is as outdated as the fuel subsidy itself. It is also restrictive and ties the economy to slow growth. Just as the common man must mentally sever the cord to the subsidy, the elite must sever the cord to this artificial fiscal restraint,” he added.
He said his administration’s budgeting would be based on the projected spending levels needed to push real annual growth rate above 10 per cent, while reducing the unemployment rate, so that the economy can be doubled in seven years.
He added that to cater for the economic needs of the over 200 million Nigerians, his administration will expand the manufacturing base to provide jobs, and also create affordable goods and products for the population.
“For our industries to thrive, they need inputs, many of which are agriculture based. The present Administration has invested heavily in agriculture, providing loans and expanding the country’s total area of cultivated land for crops, livestock and fisheries. We will also promote vibrant commodity exchanges that will guarantee minimal pricing for produce.
“We will build on this, with a focus on using technology and expertise to accelerate growth in yields. We will deliver the critical infrastructure necessary to achieve the commodity transformations and agribusinesses to plug seamlessly into higher, more lucrative, entry points in regional and global value chains.
“Building on this foundation, we will accelerate the faithful implementation of the “Infrastructure Master Plan” by adopting proven financing structures till we deliver an acceptable stock of hard infrastructure through seaports and airports; and road, rail and water transportation linkages that can support our desired economic growth.
“Fixing the perennial problem of energy supply is a top priority. There is no version of the world where Nigeria’s ambitions for itself can be achieved without solving the problem of how to provide energy to homes and businesses across the country.
“What we need to do, going forward, is to improve the enabling environment, further decentralize transmission, and deliver cost reflective tariffs to attract more private investments in the sector.”
The former Lagos State governor said restrictions were placed on import and foreign exchange to promote industrialisation, it has instead increased smuggling, reduced revenues, impoverished consumers, and raised production costs for firms.
To solve this, he said his administration will improve transparency, moving toward a unified exchange rate. According to him, by relaxing stifling trade and capital control policies, domestic and foreign investors will be encouraged to invest more in the economy.
“Thus, unification of the Naira exchange, and the transparency it creates, will be a top priority of this Administration when elected,” Tinubu added.
On the major issue of unemployment in the country, Tinubu promised to focus on the creative sector, which has an opportunity to provide millions of jobs annually.
“Taking the creative sector as one example of a sector that already engages millions of our youth, the sector has significant untapped potential for generating quality jobs and foreign exchange earnings for our country.
“From music to movies to fashion, when elected, our Administration will create a legal environment that can attract much-needed private investment into the sector, eliminate widespread piracy and copyrights issues, as well as support the development of quality hard infrastructure needs.”
Tinubu added: “We will work to ensure all borrowing is geared toward productive economic activity, focusing on internal debt discipline.
“Closing fiscal gaps, promoting domestic revenue mobilisation, implementing tax reforms, curbing corruption and optimising budget implementation are crucial for economic viability. Streamlining bureaucracy and reducing cost of governance will be imperative.
“Policy options to boost non-oil revenues are key to our revenue mobilization strategy. The use of technology to drive reforms implementation is crucial.
“Despite the adoption of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, government revenue from oil has continued to decline. We shall work in a coordinated manner to implement reforms that will remove the bottlenecks to the PIA implementation and attract increased inflows of investment into the sector, address issues of oil theft and vandalisation of oil infrastructure, and promote an increase in oil production to tap into the current high oil prices.”
Fielding questions after his presentation and responding to what he would do within his first 100 days if elected, Tinubu said he would hit the ground running by selecting a team of technocrats that will help him run the country as he did when he was governor, stating that building a good team is important.
The APC candidate was accompanied to the NESG session by Governors Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) as well as former governors Adams Oshiomhole, Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Babatunde Raji Fashola who is also Minister of Works among others.
Tinubu was the first among the top candidates to appear at the presidential dialogue on the Nigerian economy put together by the NESG.
Welcoming guests to the dialogue, the Chairman of the summit group, Mr. Niyi Yusuf, said the dialogue was to give effect to a common and shared ideas on the economy between the group and critical stakeholders.
He said NESG was set up to promote and champion the reform of the Nigerian economy into an open globally competitive economy.
The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Emma Eneukwu, says party faithful in Enugu State and South-East are committed to ‘Project Deliver (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu’ come February.
Eneukwu said this in an appreciation statement issued to newsmen in Enugu on Thursday after a successful Mega Presidential Rally held by the Presidential Candidate of the ruling APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday in Enugu.
He described the presidential rally as magnificent as well as an eye opener to all, who neglected the presence of the party at the grassroots level of the state.
According to him, this rally was an apotheosis of success as core voters trooped en masse to show support and solidarity to Tinubu.
The deputy national chairman said that the arrangement, mobilisation and organisation of the rally were top notch as the organisers delivered beyond expectations.
“Enugu has always been a safe Haven for Tinubu, who is a cosmopolitan and charismatic leader that thrives in team work, whose willingness to make Nigeria work has never been in doubt.
“I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate our party faithful in Enugu State and South-East as a whole, for a wonderful outing on Wednesday.
“We were expecting a million but we got over a million supporters present whole heartedly showing love and solidarity to our presidential candidate.
“As we all know, the whole place was filled to the brim with party faithful and supporters, while massive security was everywhere to ensure the safety of all.
“The outing also proved once more that APC has the best Presidential Candidate in the country whose support cuts across all the political parties and political divides,” he said.
Eneukwu also thanked God almighty for giving the party a clement weather as well as mercy journeys to all the party faithful to and fro their respective constituencies in the state.
The deputy national chairman also appreciated Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State for gracing the rally and adding colour and fanfare to it.
“We thank Gov. Uzodimma and Gov. Umahi for the great support and solidarity they gave by welcoming our would-be president as well as adding maturity to the Presidential rally,” he said.
He noted that in Tinubu, Nigeria would have a president that accommodates all and gives equal opportunities at all times, adding he would be a listening president that would favour the less privileged and turn things around for good.
Eneukwu, however, stressed the importance of some leaders of the party in the state jettisoning their grievances by coming together to give the APC an enviable landslide victory come the general elections.
He stated that he had started moves to reconcile everybody and keep the party growing and progressing to glory of God; adding: “Very soon, APC Enugu State would become one family as we used to be”.
“I am also urging all party faithful, supporters and lovers of Tinubu to go out to get their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) as we work harder in the process of making Tinubu our next president.
“We can make this a reality come February 25 with our PVCs,” he added.
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